Labour : Rochdale Selection

The Asian News captioned the above picture "Afzal Khan - Winner" which is how it ought to be in Rochdale in both selection and election

Readers may remember earlier posts about Rochdale's selection. Particularly following Kevin Maguire's excellent coverage in his Daily Mirror blog here. Worth another visit as a third comment has been added to those from Parbury and myself.

I've also cued up a new one like so:

"This contest seems to be continuing under different rules! I agree with Amina on two things (a) innocent until proven guilty and (b) don't embarrass Labour. If the candidate can't make the decision then the members ought to do it for him.

It struck me as odd how long this matter took to get aired and the specific timing of that just ahead of the second attempt at a final selections hustings. Perhaps it was totally by chance but the timing of that fandango may have a slight pong.

Clearly voting following face to face hustings with fiery speeches from some and damp squibs from others would suit the more outgoing candidates. Afzal Khan is certainly very impressive and a passionate communicator. And his anti war credentials and broad appeal are more certain that Mr Danczuk's who also cannot compete with Afzal's matinee idol charm.

But then again organising a campaign over a couple of weeks to maximise a postal vote from a larger electorate demands different skills.

Mr Danczuk's consultancy business - set up with Ruth Turner I believe - carries out research and also delivers 'phone and postal campaigns for politicians. So the postponement and the new rules of the game could have rather fallen into his lap. Unless that is the allegations against him at work win the day.

Afzal is himself an admirable and very skilled organiser and campaigner.

The final endorsement for Afzal Khan that I've heard was posted on my own blog by Paul Rowen's PR Guru Dave Hennigan. He used to be a councillor in Manchester and we know each other through his large and my minor involvement in the Irish Festival.

Anyway Mr Hennigan is endorsing and claiming a definite victory for Mr Danczuk in the comments here.

And that obviously means that Mr Hennigan and Mr Rowen clearly fear Manchester's former Lord Mayor more than the local polling wizard. Mr Hennigan also had a belly laugh over a drink or two with me here".

UPDATE: There are still comments appearing on the earlier item HERE.

Guardian: Quickly Onto The Moby Dick Meme

Whales metaphors are catching as The Guardian aims a subtle Plaid Cymru message at their Urban Intelligensia. Melville's allegory could provide the meme of the day.

Dale: "I want to be an MP to fight for people like this"

"Boris Johnson MP had a moment of clarity while exploring ancient white English culture while adrift in his supergrade coracle"

Boris Johnson has blogged this and Iain Dale has joined in here. The case is of a middle class white man in Henley who is from Zimbabwe having some problems getting any form of leave to remain or asylum.

Some of the comments on Dale's piece are choice. "Is it because I is white?" is a theme from quite a few, which Iain gainsayed quickly, but which other Tory visitors and linked bloggers seem to perpetuate as the very way of thinking which Dale is I am sure correctly denying in himself.

Although Towestrian has not posted on their blog since before Christmas offers this insight:

"I have a close relative who used to work in the immigration department of the Home Office. One of the reasons he left was because from the mid 90's the place became full of lefties who would bend over backwards to give whites of colonial descent a hard time in these type of cases."

Shortly before Christmas I too blogged on an immigration case. Read Santa Must Die HERE and google to find out more about that remarkable case. There have been no favours from the "Trots" at the Home Office. Whatever will be suggested by such unattributed and bizarre sources next?

This brilliant woman has even been visited by officials advising her to get on the next plane before they come for her and her children in the middle of the night. They claimed over and over again that they knew nothing about her new claim which had been allowed. But they left some of their papers behind. on the top of which was a crystal clear memorandum which explained that this family needed no harrassment and threats.

Good luck to Mark Coleman. There are many voluntary organisations and individuals in this country who are together fighting hundreds and thousands of cases for people of every creed and colour, from many dangerous countries or specific personal dangers. NO ONE should be sent back to Zimbabwe!

Making Mr Coleman into a cause celebre in the Daily Telegraph (more choice comments on the same piece from Boris) and elsewhere in this way is stirring up some very strange stuff from the righteous right in this country.

Having relatives that served in British wars is not now and hopefully never will be a criterion for being granted leave to remain. In my view the biggest system failure on asylum handling is the belittling of women's cases involving a real and completely justified fear of persecution and killing but recorded and treated as domestics.

In Chorlton, Manchester where I live our resident and very welcome asylum seekers are a pretty varied bunch. If Boris and Iain get bogged down in Henley I can provide some contacts.

There is I think a very long way to go in Mr Coleman's case. But not I wager onto a flight to Zimbabwe.

Guidogate: Call Me Ishmael, or Thar She Blows!

Guido is obsessed with Yates of the Yard's clumsy efforts to find a smoking gun. He is willing Yates to make his case. He claims he has his smoking gun with the marvellous graphic below. But what Yates (and Fawkes) seems to have got is a nasty bully idea that "it's the girl that will break".

Lord Puttnam's comments today were very interesting. He knows a thing or two about epic narratives playing out. Basically he seemed to say that the Police are getting nowhere, they're pulling on the oars, but the tide is turning, they're frustrated, all at sea, and they're trying a last throw of their clumsy harpoon to intimidate what they hope is a key and a weak witness.

Naturally Guido's Friends in Blue pick on the girl as their ticket to the truth. But perhaps the truth is that this is just a Great White Whale obsession of the SNP, Guido and Yates of the Yard. As Puttnam said they have picked the wrong route here. And Vince Cable has observed accurately I think that all the parties are involved in these things one way or another. Sack the peerages and keep the donations. Or keep the peerages and sack the donations. First sounds the right way. Sack both is good too.

Turner will surely see her pursuers exhausted and drowning in despair.

Guido Fawkes: Another Friday Caption Competition

It's Friday so it had to happen. Guido Fawkes is once again wetting his pants about Tony Blair's aide Ruth Turner here, here, here and here.

Four in four hours. It must be love, love, love. Er, love.

With his hotline to the unprofessional Yates of Knackered Yard it is a wonder that it took our hero SEVEN HOURS to find out that his lovebird was caged. Meanwhile some fun was had on Guido's Friday Caption Competition by an audience waiting for Ruth's judicial lynching to be videoed and streamed on Guido's site.

Would there be audible jeering from Lord Ashcroft along the lines: "£14M? ... you lightweight"? Would Vince Cable wonder aloud, for the tape, whether Ms Turner would have faced EIGHT YEARS if she hadn't been lynched by an unruly mob of Tories and Freemasons. As his man got TWO for £2.4M?

And would Ruth finally enjoy a whiff of Guido's burning gonads at half time in the manner in which Mr Fawkes had met his own end?

Meanwhile in Manchester Ruth's young brother Brendan was overwhelmed today by a rush of enticing offers from ladies young and old. A fair few of them cockerney sparrows trying to come over all Manky. The people of Withington will surely be waving the people's flag of deepest red for one of Brendan's Babes when the general election result we want finally arrives.

And not waving 27 assorted John Leech Focus Specials, many printed in six colours for but tuppence hapenny a thousand. These won't include a reprise of his famous hospital hoax skit. Fortunately the hospital was saved, barely a week after Leech's election. Fast foot work from a lightweight backbencher from the third party! LoL welcome nominations for new "closure calamities" and "downsizing disasters" and "cluster bomb hypocrisies" etc etc. No "hospital hoaxes" please. Marks for originality and bravado. "All night charges for parking in city centre" would be a good one. That's for real? Oh. More anon.

Cllr John Leech MP - Expert Advice On Leaflet Fraud

John Leech MP cannot be trusted to provide true facts to vulnerable people. Through a combination of naivity, incompetence and wanton carelessness, not to mention deliberate distortion, John misleads them. He has, unfortunately for the people of Manchester Withington, been promoted well above his abilities.

The Metro News dated Friday 19th is now out and about. Perhaps they've read THIS and realised that so-called fraud expert Cllr John Leech MP has strayed well outside his areas of expertise. Their website does not carry his wonky fraud master class.

His areas of expertise do of course include stretching the truth regularly beyond breaking point, hoaxing dying cancer patients and their families, and fibbing that old people are going to be regularly falling into open graves at a cemetary. When they are still alive.

What he does not know about is charity law, company law or the interaction of the two. Yet he gives advice on the very important issue of bogus campaigns which is essentially itself bogus. With ridiculous schoolboy errors.

It is simply not true that a campaign with a company number is not a charity. Totally untrue. Take Oxfam. Following John Leech's advice would lead to rejecting Oxfam and most major charities, which are also registered as companies and in most cases own further companies.

Oxfam's governance structure is:

Oxfam GB (charity 202918) is also a Company Limited by Guarantee (registered in England 612172) and is the 100% owner of Oxfam Activities Limited, and of two backburner subsidiaries. Oxfam GB also owns 50% of Progreso Cafés Limited (5125426), a 'special share' in Coffee Producers Company Limited (5144719) and 10% of Café Direct plc (141496).

Oxfam is one of 13 national or regional members of Oxfam International which is a Netherlands Charity 41159611.

You can click here and a 447Kb PDF of Oxfam's 2005 - 06 Report and Accounts will be downloaded.

Many doorstep clothes collections are not run by charities. They are businesses. A few of these businesses are two-bit scams. But others provide employment locally and do genuinely help people to trade their way out of poverty by buying and selling clothes. Some are quite impressive. Charity registration is not the answer for every good cause.

Lib Dem Canaries: Round Up

Given the news reported earlier I will canter through the other points from Marc's friends in low places.

ALLEGATIONS:

2. A certain credit card had been stopped
TRUTH? This story has some currency but to be quite blunt: who cares? There's a lot of credit out there as we all know. Switching cards or bank accounts or having a dispute with a financial institution is a "dog bites man" story.
DECISION: Who cares?
LoL Veracity rating. None given. None of our business.

3. Bird of Liberty said that Marc's household are selling a spare house in Rusholme
TRUTH? Marc seems to have made a pretty thorough disclosure to the Register in the Town Hall. His partner and his wife's employments are listed, as are three different corporate bodies in which he declares a "beneficial interest". The guidelines say this only needs to be declared if over £25,000 or 1% of the total issued share capital of the body.

Under the headings which cover bricks and mortar Marc lists one property only. It is not situate in Rusholme. Given the apparent thoroughness of the disclosure and Marc's record in declaring interests in committee etc it and his prior service as Planning Spokesperson it seems unlikely to me that he wouldn't have declared a property in Rusholme owned or leased by himself or his immediate contacts.
DECISION: Probably careless whisper from someone with axe to grind.
LoL Veracity rating. Less than 10%.

4. Bird of Liberty claimed that Marc owes some £6,000 for printing and points out that Election Laws require that any election expenses need to be remitted within a strict timetable and fines up to £5000 are possible.
TRUTH? Last point first. It is true that election expenses must be paid reasonably quickly on pain of legal remedies. Non-election print is NOT covered by this law. The main printer the Lib Dems use, LDP Limited, is I believe owned by the party. They are unlikely to be much help in helping LoL calculate any arrears. Cllr John Leech MP used quite a few other printers during his whirlwind paperstorm of a campaign. None could have kept up on their own.
DECISION: There seems to be a general view that there is a substantial unpaid print bill or bills. I will consider writing to LDP Limited and asking them the amount owed. But I doubt that their company secretary Lib Dem Cllr Mark Clayton will tell me very much if I do.
LoL Veracity rating. A substantial debt was built up: 90%. Amount it reached being £6000 or whether now resolved: Unknown.

5. Bird of Liberty said: Posters in some city centre buildings saying Marc Ramsbottom has been sacked by MMU
LoL Veracity rating. Heard in versions from several sources. Whether it said "resigned" or "sacked" or "left": Unknown. No copy to hand at time of writing. No rating.

6. Marc is still driving around in his luxury MMU-owned Saab spreading peace and light
LoL Veracity rating. Heard in versions from several sources. I have been caught out believing Lib Dem car envy before. Unknown whether this cruising continues post-resignation. Perhaps car in severance package, in which case MMU would no longer own it? No rating.

7. Bird of Liberty claimed: Marc's pay is more than £60,000 and he also gets his £15,000 council whack.
TRUTH? Members interests does not currently show amounts of remunerations, unlike Parliament's. Don't know why that is. Have been told a range of figures from £50,000 to £65,000. Councillors expenses are around £15,000.
LoL Veracity rating. Overall income was or is substantial 100%. What Marc has to budget for: Unknown.

8. Claim: Despite being at leisure Marc has not blogged his website since August though he has had some Metro cover media whore non-stories
A website is HERE and the last entry on the face of the site is August 25th 2006. However today I found 15 'external' links that are bang up to date. Only one of these mentions Marc by name in the precis. Ramsbottom has certainly continued to be active in the press including recent cover non-stories about rough sleepers and about noise.
LoL Veracity rating. Bit of a non story. There is a rather (i.e. five months) out of date homepage. Some current news buried. 70-80% say? We'll expect to witness a rapid improvement in this sad state of affairs. Perhaps Marc could get a blog?

9. Bird of Liberty was borderline scurrilous here. Many men and women in Manchester have a presence on dating and contact sites. NOT having a saucy picture on one is NOT a story. Not interested.

10. Bird of Liberty concentrated on Marc and the Lib Dems but did have a go at me too.

TRUTH? It's true I did refuse point blank to use the suspension story against Marc in May 2006. He wasn't even on the ballot.
I don't like negative campaigning on leaflets and some voters don't either. Does that make me a wimp? I don't think so. LoL veracity rating on this part 100% UNTRUE.

TRUTH? Was I deselected? I ceased to be a candidate when the election result was declared in favour of Elaine Boyes, with myself second, and Tory Jake Berry a third picking up some 70 "independent votes" plus slight growth in vote wasters. The votes for ALL other parties dipped by similar amounts.

I support All Women Shortlists. City Centre ward was not the most obvious fit for the written policy but Kathy Crotty is a great candidate and rightly winning friends in the ward. In fact Kathy got half a dozen more votes than me in 2004 and had she been seeking selection then she would have deserved to have been our candidate in 2005.
LoL Veracity rating: like several of the points against Marc this is just Lib Dem mischief. 100% UNTRUE

You can find Lib Dems calling me names for the fun of it in other places too. Including for example in the charming Dave Hennigan's comments on this very blog. But also repeatedly here where, hiding behind multiple false identities they come up with all sorts of nonsense. Quite a badge of honour. Some kind of ALDBO!

11. Bird of Liberty finished their round up by stating that Marc is still in charge of party funds as well as being the Lib Dem Finance spokesperson.
Several people share this understanding on the first point. And unless I've missed an announcement of a resignation or a reshuffle Marc does remain Finance Chief. My understanding is this resignation came before the tardy enquiry got going and I can't comment on whether Marc should continue in these roles. I thought Manchester Labour were right to suggest he should stand down in the first place. Until an enquiry had taken place.
LoL veracity rating. 75% on first part. 100% on second. For now.

Reluctance to Comment: Saddam and Jackiey in Same Post

Iain Dale has noticed that both Tony Blair and Gordon Brown took approximately five days to comment on the botched execution of Saddam Hussein, following the cherry picked charges brought against Saddam Hussein, and of course the getting on for four years of mayhem and confusion of his Mother of all Botches, Iraq.

My view is that Tony Blair may have had something ready for the expected case of the execution of Saddam Hussein with no, er, serious hitches. But he didn't want to get tied in knots with the cameras of the world in his face when the whole thing went so sadly, yet in many ways so very appropriately pear-shaped.

Whereas, notes Mr Dale blogger-by-appointment, it was different on the perhaps slightly less incendiary matter of Shilpa getting the rough end of some right old-fashioned chavi behaviour from the Troika-of-'Telligence wot is Jo O'Meara, Danielle Lloyd and Jade Goody.

Aided and abetted natch by the rapier mind of Jack Tweed, the latter pair having something quite Dickensian about 'em, with names to suit.

The pair - that's Brown and Blair not Jack and Jade - were able to state quickly that (a) they hadn't seen the show(s) and (b) they are against racism in all its forms. Really, as a speaking gig this latter case is so much easier and Iain Dale should perhaps - just this once - kick off his clever clogs and give Labour's B&B terrors a break. This is uncharacteristically petulant.

Just how much blogging did Mr Dale produce on the matter of Saddam's lynching? And forgetting Guido, who inevitably found the nastiest vid and stuck it up, who on my reading list did do that much if anything on it?

On the class war that is raging in fits on CBB Lynne Featherstone MP is one blogger who has tried her best but failing feebly to set some standards. But perhaps, just perhaps, as the newly reshuffled "Shadow" Millionairess for Poor Countries dim Lynne felt that any Indian getting a hard time, even a beautiful, intelligent and multi-millionairess Indian, needed her kindly intervention? But she's had a case of cold feet.

CHANNEL 4: Am I the only one to be mightily relieved on hearing that Tweed's four letter description of the Bollywood star was not "Paki"? They say it was the more acceptable word "Cunt". Though I notice that one of these words is a tinny two syllables, whereas the other is a woody one. How can they be confused by an alert lip reader? Perhaps there were a total of three of Jack Pratt's nasty syllables?

ORGANGRINDER thought this. Meanwhile THE TORYGRAPH TODAY under "Arts" claims Jade outshines everyone else. "She's a right l'il ray of sunshine mi chavi is", as Jackiey might say. The controversial GUARDIAN piece from Germaine Greer meanwhile is getting syndicated globally.

UPDATE: Daily Telegraph link has been corrected. Apologies. But wot woz they onabaht? Some spot on comments. Used to buy The Daily Telegraph as I was brought up their sport and their crossword - strangely for a upper working class socialist household - but one of my tutors, a donnish Oxon Reader spilt tea on one and claimed rather accurately that mopping up tea was all it was really good for. Hasn't got any better ...

Good Stuff: BBC Manchester Move "Definitely On"

HERE and from the horses mouth with inevitable BBC hand wringing HERE.

As Cllr Iain Lindley has started behaving like a troll, with rather silly carping in the comments area and on his own sour blog, I will add that this is a great achievement for Salford Labour and Manchester Labour who have been cooperating for our cities benefit at an unprecedented level.

Well done to to MPs like Tony Lloyd and Hazel Blears who have maintained the united line that whether it was Salford or Manchester this move was of great importance to the regional centre. Tories and Lib Dems meanwhile should be ashamed of the negative line taken by their talking heads in Westminster. They should take a leaf out of Labour's book and stop talking their cities down.

Tomorrow's meeting of the Chapel Street Partnership Board of which I am a member on behalf of this lot and helping to do this with Media City leading light Felicity Goodey (no relation to Jade and pictured here with Council Leader John Merry) and other movers and shakers ought to be a very joyful one.

Media City will be at Manchester Docks, by the Manchester Ship Canal, close by Manchester United! (In Salford, Salford/Trafford and Trafford respectively). As I have disclosed above I am very much involved in regeneration in Salford. As well as being involved in Chapel Street; I am CEO of IDEA which will be animating parts of Trinity Cross; and a Trustee/Director of Walk the Plank; and a member of the steering group for Emmaus in Salford; and a member of Salford Harriers; and even part of the Salford quiz squad which recently took Manchester Blackley's Quiz Championship for the second year on the trot.

So please please please Cllr Lindley don't start lecturing me or trying to put a wedge between Manchester and Salford. We reds unite across the Irwell and we won't wash typical Tory negativity trying to keep us apart!

Cllr John Leech MP - MP's Fraud Warning

A little bird told me there is going to be a cracking little story in the Metro News dated Friday 19 January. Not yet appeared on the website. This is to be headlined: MP's fraud warning.

It will say something like:

AN MP is to give tips on spotting bogus causes.
Withington MP John Leech, pictured, has warned that
fraudsters are using more sophisticated techniques to
look like real campaigners.
He said: "When a political leaflet drops through your
letterbox you can make a few simple checks to find out
if it is genuine. The main giveaway is the FREEPOST
ADDRESS - a genuine campaign will have
a specific Labour number. If the organisation
is registered with Cowley Street it is definitely
a hoaxer, not a genuine cause.

Leaving this slightly amended version aside the clown Leech gives appalling advice. He says and I quote verbatim that "if the organisation is registered with Companies House it's definitely a business, not a charity".

Any fool, apart from this fool, knows that many charities ARE registered as companies limited by guarantee and may also have trading companies. In fact they HAVE to do the latter - register a trading company - by law if they have shops and other trading activity. And even if they do not trade there are good reasons for registering a CLG. Following Johno's advice would rule out Oxfam!

This is a serious problem. The last thing the people of Manchester Withington need is a lightweight MP who may be able to score a goal or two at parks football level but is way short of class and skills for the Westminister Division.

Terrific John! Keep the how to spot a fraudster advice coming won't you. We know you are an expert at this leaflet fraud game. Photos will follow when I find the "tidied up" lead at LoL Central.

Charity registration numbers can be checked with the Charity Commission on 0845 3000 218 or HERE.

Cllr John Leech MP - Finally Catching Him Doing Something Right?

Delectable Kerron Cross is a team mate of Fat and Unfit Johno's (FUJ, pronounced and henceforth written FUDGE) in the Parliamentary Footie Team. They stuffed a bunch of chefs on Tuesday in what Kerron allows was even more flukey than usual.

FUDGE scored two well-taken goals, a very nice man called Phil Smith - a ringer from the FA scored another, and a well-taken (like "stolen" as in "stolen parliamentary election"?) penalty (Stephen Hepburn MP) was the difference at the end of a game of two halfs. The chefs were sick as parrots, But then again they had baked and then ate all the pies, except for the ones stuck to FUDGE's firebelly.

Presumably MPs and researchers and FA lobbyists get Tuesday mornings off for "Games"? A good idea that they could introduce in schools and colleges which have lost the knack of keeping kids lean. Or was that FUDGE's ex-employers McDonalds that did that? Kerron has pointed out there are no divisions until mid afternoon on Tuesdays. Which is not to say other MPs don't get any work done while the boys are at play.

On the subject of third and fourth jobs for the boy-Leech-done-good I took the time to scrutinise Leechies Town Hall RMI (Register of Members' Interests) entry while I was there to check on some of his pals yesterday.

A third job for RAC Motoring has been hurriedly scrawled out by a man in a hurry. On the document it was actually typed ABOVE his parliamentary moonlighting efforts. Probably he had to choose between the footie and the call centre and something had to give. Next this born-again fibber will be telling us McDonalds have more nutrition in the cardboard tubs than in the Fudge McFlurries!

UPDATE: Kerron has enforced some penalty re-typing.

Lib Dem Canaries: Marc Ramsbottom - Ken and Olly in "Another Fine Mess" (Hitherto Silent Comedy)

THE FIRST ALLEGATION:

Bird of Liberty said: Marc was trying to stitch up his City Centre colleague the very useful Kenny Dobson and have him de-selected in favour of one of his coterie of maverick oddballs.

DECLARATION OF INTEREST: Ken has been a member of a number of Athletic Clubs around the Manchester Area. Including my club Salford Harriers. He has left but still occasionally trains with the Club. In the rare cases when I go to Club training we have a few words. But he refuses point blank to ever talk about local politics, saying it sometimes makes him queasy just seeing me, reminding him of the close battle we had in 2004.

THE ALLEGATION IS ESSENTIALLY TRUE Our canaries have told us that both Marc Ramsbottom and his leader (for the time being) Cllr Simon Ashley did perform a strenuous ring round urging Lib Dem members in their City Centre and Hulme Branches to vote against the incumbent Cllr Ken Dobson. Of course Ken also galvanised any support he could find.
LoL veracity rating for the above 100%

"VERY USEFUL KENNY DOBSON": Ken has been on the council in this stint for almost three years and it is unusual for an incumbent to be deselected unless they are at the centre of a scandal. Last time he was on, elected as a working class hero and Poll Tax Rebel, he served until the people of the ward chucked him out, under something of a cloud.

But the Lib Dems continued to reselect Ken as a candidate. When the former Central ward was divided he insisted - because of his leaflet delivering prowess - that he be picked for the essentially "incomer" City Centre ward which combines middle to high income professionals, students and some housing association tenants.

Kenny not only won a seat in the 2004 all out election. He came second in the Lib Dem list, overhauling a barrister Peter Rothery who was, on the face of it, more representative of and attuned with the ward residents. The pair of them were around 90 votes ahead of the Labour team of Kathy Crotty, myself and Ahmed Ali.The Lib Dems won all three seats. A swing of 50 would have won Labour two seats. A good effort considering the seat was 33rd of 33 in our list of winnability.

Ken also appears to have worked extremely hard at leaflet delivery in all sorts of other wards, campaigning in particular in Ancoats and Clayton ward. On one leaflet there he appeared in photographs up to SIX times and was listed as "your local Lib Dem Councillor". Which obviously was not quite true. Though this is textbook Lib Dem strategy.

Marc was always left to deal with all the casework and media relations. Essentially it seemed as a one man band.

LoL believe it was pretty churlish of those plotting against him to raise issues from years ago to try to smear Kenny now. Though there were also some new issues.

This is not a completely isolated incident. The Lib Dems did turn on Simon Wheale fairly recently. The Lib Dems are generally organised here in pairs of adjoining wards and they allow members in either of two wards to vote in the selections in EITHER of the two wards concerned.

They also allow individuals to join on or around the day of a selection. And until recently they allowed even babes in arms to vote in these contests. A large number of new members did join and quickly voted to select Mark Clayton instead of Simon Wheale who had been a councillor in the ward for many years. He was later found another seat.

LoL feel that Bird of Liberty was correct in saying Ken was "Very Useful" in that he does lots of party political legwork. Less good in terms of getting things done for residents though.
TRUEish LoL veracity rating 50%, useful to party not people

"COTERIE OF MAVERICK ODDBALLS": Marc Ramsbottom himself has a reputation as a maverick. It is also fair to say that the Lib Dem party in Manchester as elsewhere does have a coterie of maverick oddballs. The challenger Oliver West is very much part of this gang of merry men. But LoL feel Oli is far more reasonable, intelligent and decent than most.

Paradoxically backed by hard graft from Ken Dobson himself, again straying outside the ward he was supposed to represent, Oliver did rather well in Hulme Ward when Labour had a change of candidate. He impressed neutral observers by leap frogging the Greens for second. Against an established Labour Councillor that result is very unlikely to occur again.
TRUE there is such a coterie; TRUE Oliver West is part of this; UNTRUE the implication that Oliver would be a poor candidate.
LoL veracity rating NONE AWARDED

OTHER ISSUES: Apart from harping back to Kenny's ancient history the essential narrative of the alleged Ramsbottom/Ashley conspiracy is that Ken Dobson was a thorn in their side. They told putative co-conspirators that Ken was a trouble maker. LoL are told they cited his reporting a fellow candidate, with whom he had worked very closely, for very serious and embarrassing criminal activity.

What they did not say was that senior members of the Lib Dem Group on Council had given Ken the information about their colleague and the encouragement to make the complaint. In other words set him up.

And they did not say that they were fearful that Ken who is it seems popular with hard grafting back benchers who do the legwork and was potentially a king or queen maker, even perhaps a candidate, in what promises to be an intriguing battle for control of the group when the tired and erratic Ashley finally goes.

OUTCOME OF CONSPIRACY:
We're told that nine votes were cast in the selection vote which was on Friday 12 January. The early rumbles round the Town Hall corridors were that the conspiraters had won. But we're told that Kenny won by the odd vote. Oliver West is still therefore on an unfulfilled promise of a "safe seat".

Lib Dem Canaries: Manchester Councillor Marc Ramsbottom PPC Leak - The Preamble

STOP PRESS: Later in this post we said: "Unless that is Marc has already moved on. But there is no credible evidence of that so far." Well, a tip off arrived yesterday afternoon in my inbox saying categorically that Marc Ramsbottom has resigned. Don't know why the Manchester Evening News is yet to cover this. It seems to me it is a big story when a PPC and Lib Dem Finance Spokesman resigns with this back story. More anon.

FACT CHECKERS REJOICE!

LoL's enquiries are ongoing and we encourage reliable Lib Dem canaries to continue to spill the beans in comments here or by email to idea at mcr1 poptel org uk. Please don't be offended if we remove unsupported allegations in comments or tarry a while in publishing emailed tips, particularly from known Lib Dems.

We quickly removed the remarkable comment on our earlier story. We now bring LoL readers a series of clarifications dealing with every point without perpetuating any inaccuracy. LoL will immediately print any observations on this story from Marc Ramsbottom himself or from any other interested party. And we will amend or delete any proven inaccuracies.

BACKGROUND:

Marc Ramsbottom is now a Ward Councillor for the City Centre Ward. He has previously been a Councillor for Rusholme Ward. And also, after a considerable hiatus but before the latest boundary revision, for Central Ward which had included all of the current CC ward plus further City Centre developments and extensive social housing estates which are now in Miles Platting and Newton Heath Ward or Ancoats and Clayton Ward.

Marc has in recent years been Planning Spokesperson, Deputy Leader, and Joint Budget Spokesman for the Lib Dem Group on Manchester City Council. As the other Joint Budget Spokesman is not credible Marc is in effect Shadow Finance.

Marc Ramsbottom has been a Lib Dem PPC in three different constituencies since 1997 as revealed by THIS LINK and THIS (inaccurate) LINK, putting his carpet bag down most recently in his home constituency: Manchester Central.

Marc is honourably managing a wife, a son in a minor public school, and a partner. He is a Stonewall activist. He may or may not have flirted with mud wrestling in his youth. I'm on a bet there for mentioning that. Sounds like good fun anyway.

Marc Ramsbottom seems to polarise views among those who know him. But LoL agree with those who assert that while he may be a ******** (insert etc) he is one of the more competent and conscientious councillors in the Manchester Lib Dem Group. Faint praise I know, but ILoLHO he would have been a more effective parliamentarian than utter clown Cllr John Leech MP.

Marc reached the Lib Dem coalition by way of the SDP.

THE PREAMBLE:

Bird of Liberty said: Kassim Afzal (Gorton) and Marc Ramsbottom (Central) were not yet on the Lib Dem Voice "selected list".

TRUE And they are still not THERE or included in recent news items. One of LoL's 2007 predictions is that Kassim will simply not make it in Gorton. LoL plan to blog on the general state of the Liberal Democrat Party's diversity strategy in the not too distant.
LoL veracity rating 100%

TRUE TOO Bird of Liberty described Marc as "the suspended-on-full-pay alleged tax fiddler". Marc is a suspended-on-full-pay alleged tax fiddler. Unless that is Marc has already moved on. But there is no credible evidence of that so far.
LoL veracity rating 90-100%

ANALYSIS:

Our fascination with this sad story is on the question of why Marc and his Trade Union, the AUT, haven't been jumping up and down insisting on an early resolution. It does give Marc time and full pay to flirt with the media and carry on his campaigning activities. But under a cloud surely? The reputational risk of letting the matter of financial probity hang in the air for so long - almost a year already - seems tremendous.

Cllr Simon Wheale pushed things along to an early result when faced with similar problems. LoL think that's the right approach and we urge Marc to do likewise. Better late than never.

Marc continues to have various financially responsible positions within the Lib Dem Group, the Lib Dem Party, and also in professional life, e.g. as a Trustee of the Students Union Superannuation Scheme (SUSS).

Essentially Marc's Boys Own Story, as told to the Manchester Evening News, is that as the General Manager of the Manchester Metropolitan University Students' Union (MMUSU) "student centred with professional standards" he allowed another employee (also LoL hear under investigation) to deliberately fiddle their motor allowances for tax. Marc denies this vehemently.

The MMU or MMUSU or AUT have not commented on this matter. So, apart from finding out by his obvious absence from his job that Marc was suspended, the Manchester Evening News have only had information from Marc himself.

Manchester Labour have commented in a measured way HERE suggesting that while "innocent until proven guilty" is the way forward Marc should not continue with financial responsibilities in the Council Chamber. The statement points out that Manchester Labour immediately suspended the whip on ex Councillor Damien O'Connor when he was accused of fraud.

Damien refused to leave the Council when convicted. He has stood unsuccessfully several times as an Independent. His backers including another former independent candidate who was also involved at one time with the National Front. Damien is now a Liberal Democrat candidate and is, we're told, responsible in the local party for membership and subscriptions.

Manchester Evening News story HERE.

Doughty TV Exclusive: Blair Not Campbell Called Brown "Psychologically Flawed", Allegedly

Are these Spin Doctors we can trust? Lance Price ducks and dives quite a bit around whether this story, his own dining out story, is true or not. Man-in-pub-told-me level of verification really. Which gets bloggers a bad name.

It's a marvellous exclusive if true. Even if a bit on the "Dog Bites Man" end of things. But a bit worrying nonetheless. LoL chose to apologise a couple of years ago after hearing and repeating some things in a similar way - the new Lib Dem MP has a luxury sports car - which was simply and very sorry to say NOT TRUE.

They HAD extracted £25,000 in short order from one vulnerable 69-year-old supporter. They HAD hushed this up at their own celebration including an incredible 'snatching the mic' moment (actually from someone who was themselves a donor though no record at Electoral Commission so presumably small amounts only?). They HAD burnt the entire edition of one of their election leaflets. They HAD claimed to only spend £17 on phones when having an extensive phone campaign. They HAD obviously fibbed about Christie Hospital and about Keith Bradley's record.

Leech HAD bamboozled a soft Labour peer to grab a bargain new London pad. Leech HAD splashed out on some lovely new sofas and drapes. And local Lib Dems WERE upset with this combination of conspicuous consumption and ingrate treatment of the donor.

But Leech HAD NOT bought a flashy new car. That was the one inaccuracy in the hot news from the leaky Lib Dems.

All these other revelations and more from the card-carrying Libdemologists were it seems true. But they can't resist throwing a fib in. My mistake was quite simply believing a Lib Dem.

Is Lance Price a bit like that? Is he even a Lib Dem? My mistake was believing a Lib Dem without checking every single "fact". They are still whining on about it TO THIS DAY HERE. And that was in the laughable South Manchester Distorter letters page. Hardly the big media of 18 Doughty Street and Iain Dale's Diary.

Usually it is Leech himself or his henchman Cllr Paul Shannon* but on there they're all hiding under silly aliases and they continue to go off topic - which in this case is supposed to be the Willie Rennie/John Leech double act speaking out against the cluster bombs which Rennie's lobbying firm's client Raytheon actually make.

Should Iain Dale be letting a loose cannon on his estimable web-TV show? And then blogging the cannon balls that fly, all over the web? And tomorrow the inkies no doubt.

* It really is coming to something when utterly useless Lib Dem councillors stick nonsense about themselves (and their natty cars) on Wikipedia.

Lib Dem Selections: Chicken Run to Cornwall?

Libdemologists at LDV are not too upset that Matthew Taylor MP is to step down after long service. The news was sneaked out on Wikipedia first as the Lib Dems chief campaigning and policy wonk cites the usual "family reasons". The 20 years service probably means decent news on the "pensions reasons" too!

Pictured top are three marginal Lib Dem MPs - who may have no seats left if they stay where they are now - catching the first train to Kernow. Erstwhile "Shadow Transport Minister" Tom Brake, another "Shadow Transport Minister" Paul Rowen, and as if that's not enough, a third "Shadow Transport Minister" John Leech.

In fact BRAKE has been replaced by a Mr CARmichael and Rowen and Leech had better get used to the wicked sense of humour of the old gentleman. He likes his puns. They might yet get the Shadow Cherry Tree and Shadow Bloodsucking posts at the next reshuffle.

The old guy also loves irony, like making the millionairess Lynne Featherstone "Shadow Minister" for poor countries. I believe she has yet to issue a statement on her new brief, but she loves nattering about Horse Racing. The sport of millionairesses. Pictured above right is the throng of well-wishers watching Taylor inspect his retirement bungalow. Or bungle-low perhaps given their lack lustre 2005 campaign results.

Lib Dem Canaries: Still Singing Sweetly, News Soon

As promised yesterday I have been consulting some of the squealling canaries of the Manchester Lib Dems. This follows the blogging of a comment from Bird of Liberty mentioning a feathered friend and making ten 'revelations' about Cllr Marc Ramsbottom - who was Lib Dem PPC in Manchester Central in 2005 and with one rather erroneous claim about yours truly.

Image sourced from Stephen F Hayes/Artville.

UPDATE: Six Lib Dem canaries have sung so far, bless them. I've been and had a shufty at the Town Hall Register of Members Interests also ... very interesting. And one of the Rochdale candidates was also on hand.

I Spy Strangers: Horns of a Dilemma

Great news that the flow of visitors to LoL is growing. But some are more welcome than others. Ex-Manchester Lib Dem Councillor Dave Hennigan, who works for Cllr Paul Rowen MP - still a two-jobber like this greedy bugger? - has been monitoring the Rochdale story on Labour of Love and elsewhere.

But now he has piped up and started posting comments with his own brand of joshing, abuse and irrelevant opinion.

The dilemma: should I just take it on the chin? Or perhaps get cocky like this young man?

Or hope that he goes back to lying low like this young fellow me lad seems to be doing.

Regional Development Agencies: Racism and Recruitment Woes

My MP Tony Lloyd raised the question of regional quangos and non Departmental public bodies here last week.

This week there is trouble at t'mill at our RDA with a CEO - with a fat cat salary that few would turn their noses up at - being accused of sending some racist "humour" by text to a contact in another company.

This humour was discovered when the individual handed in his company 'phone to leave for a new appointment ... working for the North West Development Agency.

Steve Broomhead (pictured right) has apologised for the incident and NWDA believe they have drawn a line under the complaint of racist texting.

The enquiry into the manner in which the recruitment was handled by NWDA as a whole is ongoing. Full Story is laid out in the Liverpool Echo.

Parburypolitica: Scoops Labour of Love on Comment!

Parburypolitica has this evening blogged on a contrary comment - appearing to be some kind of Lib Dem deep throat - on an earlier post here.

Curses! LoL should have got the exclusive on that one. Too busy doing Butler graphics, plotting local campaigns, and wondering at some of the punishments dished out in our Junior schools. More anon.

Some of these allegations I have already heard of from several sources. Others I am less sure of. Should a blogger remove a comment they are not sure of? I've heard a lot worse from Lib Dems and ex Lib Dems actually. Tomorrow I'll be on the 'phone to my little yellow canaries and see what the caged birds have to sing for themselves.

Not Another Damnable Butler Report

Theo Spark's Catering Agency which provided half the above graphic (balance courtesy of LoL graphics) is pushing Mr Prescott forward for the upcoming Number 10 vacancy. The butlering one that is. While Iain Dale's Humble Servants are forgiving in prodding forward the career of ex-Tory and ex-Curate Chris Bryant.

As LoL explained to Mr Dale, with regrets, Chris Bryant is a real bum steer. This careerist tosser was after all one of the fools who turned on Blair just before Conference to try to make him go sooner than he wished. Blair would surely show Bryant the door rather than allowing vice versa?

Though the BBC did confide that Mr Bryant recognised his customers "hold strong convictions and he duly stuck to bread and butler issues". Or something like that.

Bangladesh: All Quiet on the Eastern Front

Rupa Huq has blogged some more good news on how the state of emergency has been working out.

Labour Selections: Fear and Loathing in Rochdale

The Rochdale Observer carried an amazing story last week, telling how a shortlisted candidate had received funeral wreathes and 'phone threats encouraging him to pull out. The Mirror's Kevin Maguire follows up with news that the supplying florist and credit card details have now been traced.

This is part of what I added as a comment there:

I sincerely hope that this little stunt has been dreamt up and delivered by Lib Dem tricksters, by some fool thinking it would help the victim, or by some of the squabbling people who have been rooted out by Labour or passed over for mayor by the Lib Dems.
Interesting that this guy is pedantically claiming he is not a Blairite, seeming to think that by saying he is now a Brownie this will impress those locally who HATE New Labour of which project both Blair and Brown are clearly integral.
An anti-war candidate would have a greater chance of winning in Rochdale than anyone who has toed the line on that terrible catastrophy for Iraq and for Labour.
Chris Paul at 15 Jan 2007 10:38

Rochdale has latterly been part of a very strange throwback world in Labour terms. This selection offered recovery and redemption.

Lorna Fitzsimons was not a universally popular MP, trying to boss the local constituency so that they only passed "on message" motions. She was gung-ho for war and for every New Labour policy under The Sun.

Lorna was defeated after a bitter and expensive looking campaign by erstwhile Lib Dem Council leader Paul Rowen. Not as foolish as some others in the vicinity.

But next upset came as Council control was whipped from under Mr Rowen as Labour's Allen Brett did a deal with the Tories. Fallout from the war, the general election, and this "coalition of the losers" saw a bit of a witch hunt and talk of expulsions, warnings, and good behaviour agreements.

Though the Lib Dems are back in control after some gains their course is rocky with some very disappointed councillors not feeling well done by over the mayoralty and other preferments. In short there are plenty of suspects in and around the murky world of Rochdale politics. It will be a close run thing and I'm not sure if Simon will be defeated as Maguire now predicts by the ante post favourite, the most excellent Afzal Khan. But for my money Simon is, like Lorna, too loyal and controlling to gain the support of the socialists of Rochdale.

Simon looks shaken as he answers the 'phone. That's just a pixel thing.

UPDATE: Paul Rowen's boy Dave Hennigan has started blogging comments. More.

Blogging: Crazy World of Adele Returns

Good to see Adele back at a new address. As hinted there Adele was away because of some juvenile and malicious comments related to having a slightly different take on things than the gospel from certain party loons and Stalinists. Such sectarianism and nasty harrassment is a real waste of energy. And not nice. Be good to see Adele's archive back before too long. Best wishes for exam and election seasons.

Fibdemologist Record Donor: Lend Me Your Passports

"He can have mine", "No mine", "Take mine" - the Gulls of Liberty offering perhaps to lend Michael Brown their passports as their millionaire donor was banged up for a couple of minor offences. His donor company has been struck off having never apparently traded in the UK. Which must mean the Electoral commission will reconsider their October 05 clearance for these Jailbirds of Fibbery.

Having rounded up HERE the earlier back story with stories from the London press let's show our commitment to the Union by linking to The Scotsman for the initial sentencing. Investigations are of course proceeding on other matters.

A Lib Dem spokesman said at the time: "There is no connection between the Liberal Democrats and the offences to which Michael Brown has pleaded guilty and has been sentenced today."

Which rather contradicted the judge who had branded the case one of "very deliberate and pointed" dishonesty. Which seems to many of us who struggle daily against poisoned Fibdemology to be their stock in trade.

"The Liberal Democrats" the fibbers continued "acted in good faith at all times in relation to the receipt and expenditure of donations from his company. We conducted appropriate checks on the source of these donations within the statutory timescale."

It does make one wonder about their methodology. The Electoral Commission have every reason to review their decision and could usefully also examine every return the Lib Dems ever made to them on election expenses, donations, and loans.

"All this money was properly spent during the general election campaign last year. Our accounts for the election campaign were independently audited."

Sound like wool has been pulled over some auditors eyes there then.

Of course all this was extensively blogged months before LoL hit the ether. The story HERE has links to the backstory up to July 2006 and gives a compelling account of how the donor company was pretty thin on the ground and hardly likely to pass muster on any serious checks. While the comments on THIS story of the sentencing offer some excellent points:

One quoth: ... Brown denied trying to buy political influence, stating, "You must be fucking joking, it's the Lib Dems for God's sake."

Another suggested the judge was not taken by the guilty man's goatee beard and sandals. But this earlier picture - rather like a young Simon Hughes don't you think? - shows him looking the part even without the offending barbery.

Last word to the Lib Dems who are praising rather than burying their "new" leader: "I don't think Ming knew anything about it then," said one MP. "He wasn't one of Kennedy's inner circle." Or at least he was only in the same sense that Brutus was one of Caesar's inner circle. Backing him to the, ahem, hilt. As Campbell's inner circle are of course doing these days.

Tory Triangulation: Cameron Reassuring the Right?

Here we go again as the estimable Iain Dale reports Dave/id Cameron trying to reassure the UKIP-tempted right of his party that he is true blue and not some kind of political chameleon. Looking at the Labour propaganda strip above Dave/id is in the linked Torygraph piece at the FAR LEFT of this non-stop cycle orienteering of his.

PS: When Dale quipped in response to a reference to the BBC TV Robin Hood on the BBC Radio 5 Woricker programme yesterday that "the trouble was Brown was robbing from the poor as well" he was way wrong. IFS and others have recognized quite a redistribution. It's not really enough but it is there. May come back to that.

Fibdemologists: Cat Fights Continue

While the fine old gentleman who is leader of the Libdemologists is anticipating an early election - presumably so he gets a go at one before he jumps or is pushed - his flakey colleagues in selection central need to pull their finger out.

As of Friday 12 January they have selected in just 71 seats, including only 10 sitting MPs.

Meanwhile, and mean may be the word for it, Suz Blog is calling in Trinny and Susannah to get rid of Sarah Teather's "Granny" styling.

Teather's clothes sense may well be all over the place. But that surely suits her all over the place Libdemology ways perfectly? Though according to the above link Sarah has yet to be selected. Perhaps the fine old gentleman will get his revenge for her calling for his head. As she called for Charlie's head before. She'll probably keep doing this until she is the leader herself.

This by the way is Susanne 'Suz' Lamido who is actually a Granny and is the one calling for the makeover.

Also calling incidentally for Menzies Campbell's head.

And for votes for Dave/id Cameron's Cuddly Nu Tories.

What a tremendous time to be a Libdemologist!

Donations: Libdemology Backstory

Further to LoL's Scientology/Libdemology riddle here is the Times original coverage of this donor. The Independent reporting as the Electoral Commission investigate. And the Guardian running down the charges against the mysterious Michael Brown.

He says he doesn't want a peerage as he "screams and shouts at people" and isn't suitable for Their Lordships House. But he may have been hoping that the Bird of Liberty would keep him out of jail.